Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery Tuesday on his injured right forearm.
The Astros announced that McCullers had surgery to repair the flexor tendon in his pitching arm and to remove a bone spur. The injury-plagued right-hander is expected to return next season.
McCullers, who did not pitch in a game this season, originally injured the flexor tendon during the 2021 American League Division Series and aggravated the injury during a spring training bullpen session in February, according to the team.
“After the injury happened in February, Lance worked his tail off to get back on the mound,” Astros general manager Dana Brown said Wednesday in a statement. “This guy is a warrior and did everything in his power to get back. But each time he built himself up to an increased pitch total off the mound, the pain would come back. It’s unfortunate, but we look forward to him being back on the mound next season.”
McCullers, 29, also missed most of last season because of the flexor tendon injury, going 4-2 with a 2.27 ERA in eight regular-season starts and 0-1 with a 5.87 ERA in three postseason starts.
An All-Star in 2017, McCullers also missed the entire 2019 season after he underwent Tommy John surgery. The right-hander has spent his entire nine-year career with the Astros, going 49-32 with a 3.48 ERA.